gear shift prob

[FlySpeck]

The box is very baulky going into 3rd. I can shift all the other gears ok, but going into 3rd is a right pig!

Is this common, cureable and is there a quickshift mod for the hdi?

[steve_earwig]

I think, if you've got synchro issues a quickshift is going to hasten your 'box's demise

What I done wiv mine

[FlySpeck]

yeah sage advice mate.

I just wondered if it was a mechanical adjustment problem rather than a synchro fault. I do notice I can beat the synchro and get a crunch by shifting too quickly into 4th as well, but that may be the box needing the oil replaced.

The shifter seems to go too far forward in 1 3 & 5 unlike 2 & 4 it nearly stands straight up.

Is there an alignment procedure?

[teamster1975]

Hmmm... What sort of nick is the bottom engine mount in? I wonder whether this is related to the other fault.

[FlySpeck]

no idea yet mate, just had the car 3 days, will have to get a good look over it when im on my days off again.

[STALLED]

How decent are your linkages - They turn to dust after around 10 years and cause poor allignment between the shifter and the box!

[kevtherev]

i had this prob on my 52 plate corsa that was linkage and cost 88 quid supplied and fitted. it was made of plastic so doesnt last long.im sure it wud be more than that on the pug tho...
i am also havin issues with 3rd not wanting to go in then other times its as smooth as ya like.
where do you drain the box oil from and re-filll it? is it recommended i have never heard of changing box oil and all cars i have had regardless of age /mileage to my knowledge have never had it done

[FlySpeck]

I know, I was thinking of changing the box oil, cant hurt, its prob like old tar now. my car has more mileage on it than apollo 1

The main shift linkage is a big fat steel rod with bushes inside a ring fitting each end, could be turned, or misaligned in some way. Must find a diagram of the shift assy and aligment procedure. Mine too is sometimes smooth into 3rd, and sometimes wont go at all, up or down the box. No crunch, just stops dead instead of slotting in. A wiggle of the stick makes it go btw, thats why I reckon its the linkage.

There must be a drain / fill plug on the box somewhere, you usually have to suck the oil out using one of those syphon things and fill till the oil runs out of the hole then put the bolt back in.

[highlander]

my car has more mileage on it than apollo 1

Well, that's not quite as impressive as you'd think ...

Apollo 1 was the planned first piloted mission of the Apollo program. It was never flown due to a fatal fire on January 27, 1967, at Pad 34 (Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral, in testing the Command Module (CM-012). The crew--Command Pilot Gus Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White, and Pilot Roger Chaffee--were all killed, and the spacecraft was destroyed. The name Apollo 1 was officially assigned retroactively in commemoration of the crew.

[FlySpeck]

ah....I was only 4 when they "went to the moon" (ho ho like they reaaaaly did too...), didnt realise that appolo 1 had gone tits up.

well my pug must have been used on a successful space mission then - its got a quarter million on it...

[jasper5]

I know, I was thinking of changing the box oil

There must be a drain / fill plug on the box somewhere, you usually have to suck the oil out using one of those syphon things and fill till the oil runs out of the hole then put the bolt back in.

There is a drain plug at the bottom of the gearbox (9mm square hole in it, standard French drain plug).
Refill the oil through the reverse light switch hole at the top of the gearbox, 1.8 litres/1.9 litres.

[FlySpeck]

nice one Jasper. u a pug tech by any chance....?

[jasper5]

I'm a self employed mechanic, 40 years in the industry, 30 years in business.
I was once Foreman Mechanic in a Peugeot dealers, previous to that was Foreman in a Subaru/Nissan/Skoda dealers.

[FlySpeck]

excellent, we can pick your brains too then lol.

I need to get a look at the linkage system on the 406 to see where it could be sticking, but it may just be old oil in the box as it was 2oC this morning, and the box was slick and smooth until the car warmed up a bit, then back to baulking at 3rd every few shifts. Theres no crunch, just stops dead at the gate.

fookin annoying....but then french gearboxes are probably the worst in the known universe..!

[mjb]

First and easiest thing to do is to pop the ball joints off the top rear of the gearbox, clean 'em up, grease and re-fit.

If you change the oil don't forget to get a new washer for the drain plug otherwise you could end up dropping the oil everywhere. Also don't be tempted to use one of those suction jobbies - gearboxes (at least PSA ones) are very sensitive to the oil level! 1.9 litres from empty (on the ML5T box, dunno about the others), and get the front of the car as high as you can while draining it so it all comes out. Some Molyslip gearbox additive works well too, but don't forget to lower the amount of oil in the box to compensate